The Art of Illustration: Our Top 20 Picks

Making the selections for a book like 100 Illustrators (published by Taschen) is an exercise on many levels. You want to feature the work of the artists you not just like, but have also followed for years, but you also need to think about each one’s contribution to the field of illustration: who they inspire, their unmistakable style, and the bulk of work they have produced and continue to make. It’s a lot to take into consideration. Over the last seven years, we have profiled over 700 illustrators for the Illustration Now! series, as well as collaborated on books covering portrait and fashion illustration. But recently, we decided it was time to whittle down the list and create the most important book that’s been produced in the field in decades. It is not a showcase. It is an art book about the art of illustration. In honor of this project, we’ve chosen 20 of our favorites from 100 Illustrators.